“I work full time creating online math tutorials for Pearson Education. We create exercises, chapter tests and homework assignments and align them to state standards.”

What do you do?

“I work full time creating online math tutorials for Pearson Education. We create exercises, chapter tests and homework assignments and align them to state standards.”

How did you get into this?

“A friend found the job on monster.com for himself and said I should apply for it.”

Is this your first online job?

“Yes. After college I was a billing supervisor for a temporary agency. It was tedious.”

Where is your office?

“I work at home and here at NU Café. It's about half and half. There are too many distractions at home, like laundry and other things I need to do around the house. Sometimes it is nice to stay home, but I love the big window here. It's good to get some vitamin D from the sun when I can.”

Does the management of NU Café mind you working there?

“I don't think so. The owner (Charles Carroll) seems OK with it. He's very friendly. He jokes about giving me the family discount. I always try to buy things if I am going to be here all day.”

Are the other customers curious about what you do?

“Definitely. People ask me all the time about it. I've met at least six people who came up to me wondering what I am doing.”

Do others who work for the company work remotely?

“In my group, most work out of the office in Boston. I was hired to work completely at home. I could go into the office every day if I wanted to, but I see a lot more people here and I have a window. They like to train you in the Boston office.”

Do you enjoy your job?

“Pearson's a great company to work for.”

How did you get into that line of work?

“I went to college because I was going into accounting. I was going to be a bank teller, but I didn't go into accounting. I heard about the math major and signed up for the math department to get a math degree. I didn't know what I was going to do with it. I just thought I would get the degree and hoped I'd get into something I liked.”

How easy was it to get into the job?

“I feel like I never would have applied for the job if it wasn't for my friend. The job description is intimidating, but my friend told me I could do it.”

Is a math degree required for the job?

“It wasn't when I started. Back then, a degree in anything was accepted. My boss had a degree in English. Now math degrees are required for getting the job.”

Who uses the tutorial programs?

“We kind of build courses for teachers. It sort of takes the teaching out of teaching. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and many schools were destroyed, it was used to help teachers who found they were teaching many more students.”

Compiled by reporter George Barnes

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